A Cobra's Regret
by Atarah Derekh
Summary: Pua joins the assault on the Outlands, where he confronts an old friend. Sequel to "A Cobra's Honor."


**Disclaimer:** I own the three cobras at the end, and I have claimed custody of Ushari to protect him from character abuse by his writers. Everything else belongs to Disney.

* * *

The time for battle was near.

Kion paced at the front of his army, his nerves threatening to get the better of him. He was so young, and yet here he was, an acting general of the king's forces, going up against a threat that he alone could defeat. He was still a cub in so many ways; his mane hadn't even reached beyond his nape yet. And yet the fighting animals of the Pride Lands put their complete trust in him. Even his allies, the newly united hyena clans of the Outlands, were prepared to march under his lead. Which was amazing in and of itself. Jasiri was a leader in a strongly matriarchal culture who didn't take grief from anyone, especially males. And Janja, having led an all-male clan for so long, was still learning to submit to another leader. Let alone one who had been an enemy. Now, both looked to Kion for their cues.

Kion took a deep breath to calm himself as Jasiri and Fuli approached.

"You alright, Kion?" Jasiri asked.

"I'm fine," the young lion insisted. "Just...pre-battle nerves."

"I know what you mean," Fuli said with a nod. "Everyone's a little nervous. But your dad has so much confidence in you. He believes in you, and so do we."

"So does everyone in the Pride Lands," Jasiri pointed out. "Just look at them all."

Kion gave his army a look over once again, smiling for a moment, then grimacing. He was grateful for their trust in him, but concerned about the possibility of letting them all down. He was about to voice this concern when a movement caught his eye. A lone crocodile was approaching Makuu's floatilla.

"Who is that?" Kion wondered aloud, trotting over to investigate.

Makuu also noticed the visitor. He turned and gaped in surprise upon recognizing the older reptile. "Pua! What are you doing here? This is a terrible time for a rematch, if that's what you're thinking!"

Pua chuckled. "Nothing like that, Makuu. Relax. I've come to help."

Kion joined them, also recognizing the elderly crocodile. "Pua? You're back?"

"I've been keeping up with the news coming out of the Pride Lands," Pua explained. "Makuu has certainly become a fine leader."

Makuu beamed at the praise, then grew serious. "As much as I appreciate the positive reviews, this really isn't the time or place. Once the sun rises, we march into battle. Not sure what you can do to help, old timer."

"I have a bone to pick with an old friend," Pua said cryptically. "I know I can't do as much as these younger, stronger crocs, but I would like to lend my experience."

Makuu turned to Kion. "He really doesn't have much chance at the front of the assault with the rest of us, but maybe you can use him?"

Kion pondered the offer. "Well...it would be helpful to have an extra body to keep the enemy at bay while I confront Scar. I'm sure the rest of the Guard would appreciate it. Pua, do you think you can keep up with us as we make our way to the top of the volcano?"

"I will certainly do my best, your highness," Pua said with a bow of his head.

Kion nodded back. "Then it's settled. In less than an hour, we march!"

* * *

Dawn brought with it the march on the Outlands. Both sides readily engaged in Battle. Makuu's crocodiles led the charge, clashing with their opposite number under the command of Kiburi. Jasiri's clan led the assault on the jackals. Simba and the lionesses worked on clearing a path for the Lion Guard to get to Scar. Hadithi and the birds kept up their aerial assault, while Anga and Ono provided a buffer between the vultures and the Guard.

Despite his advanced years, Pua kept pace fairly easily with the Guard, falling into step behind the short-legged Bunga, and using his tail and quick turnabout time to dissuade any enemy combatants from following them. Upward they charged, into the heart of the volcano, Pua keeping his eyes peeled the entire time for the one creature he'd come to confront.

Meanwhile, within his fiery lair, Scar waited patiently, listening to the sounds of battle outside. Soon the skinks signaled that the Guard was on its way. Scar turned to his right-paw minion.

"Ushari, get into position!" he ordered.

The cobra gave a tongue flick and obeyed, ducking behind a rock and listening for Scar's signal. He rehearsed the plan in his head: Attack Kion from the left, latch onto his eyebrow, give him the deepest cut a cobra's short fangs could manage, and inject just enough venom not to kill but to cause permanent brain damage. Kion would slowly descend into madness, and would therefore carry on Scar's legacy. An Egyptian cobra's venom worked fast, so Kion would surely have his judgment clouded enough to complete the final stage of Scar's plan; to destroy the Pride Lands in a volcanic eruption using the Roar of the Elders. The eruption would leave the Pride Lands habitable only for ground dwelling creatures such as snakes, lizards and their prey. No longer would Ushari be subject to the disrespect of large mammals. No longer would any creature interfere with the cobras' cultural rituals. And Ushari would have his revenge on the creatures who took his honor from him.

The cobra smiled to himself as he heard the Guard rushing in. Kion ran straight to the ledge overlooking Scar's lava lake, while the rest of the Guard flanked him, keeping an eye on the passage they'd just come through. Ushari peeked around the rock where he hid to judge Kion's position, as well as Bunga's. The honey badger was the biggest threat to Ushari, and the cobra would have to be fast and silent to avoid drawing the energetic mustelid's attention. Bunga had always seemed magnetically drawn to Ushari, which would be the undoing of the entire plan if Ushari were not careful. As Kion and Scar lectured one another, Ushari stealthily slithered into a better position to make his move.

Once in place, Ushari prepared to jump. But something caught his eye. He looked back toward the passage and observed a sixth creature with the Guard; a familiar old crocodile, helping Fuli guard the entrance, looking all around him as if searching for something.

"Ushari, now!"

Distracted as he was, Ushari almost missed Scar's signal. But his recovery time was lightning fast, and before Kion could fully turn his head in the direction Scar indicated, the cobra was out like a flash, striking Kion hard in the face. The impact was so forceful it sent both animals tumbling backward.

Ushari lay dazed for a moment, hearing Kion's name echoing around as his friends cried out for him. He shook the impact off and started to get up, but found himself pinned down. He looked up into the enraged face of Bunga. He hadn't known Bunga could make a face more serious than one of exaggerated woe at having missed breakfast. Suddenly, the young boar was truly a terrifying sight for the restrained elapid to behold. Ushari stared dumbly at Bunga's glistening canines, unable to gather his wits and see if his strike had worked. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the sound of Scar's triumphant laughter echoed.

Pua rushed forward with the rest of the Guard. Everyone stared in shock as Kion struggled to his feet, revealing a deep, bleeding scratch across his left eye. He was shaky on his paws, shaking his head to clear it, while Scar continued to taunt him.

"Now you have a scar just like me!" the fiery apparition roared. "Sisi ni sawa, Kion! Sisi ni sawa!"

Pua turned to see Bunga restraining Ushari. The honey badger cub was now watching Kion, urging him to use the Roar of the Elders, while Ushari struggled halfheartedly.

Kion tried to position himself to roar, but staggered. Ushari couldn't help but get his own taunt in.

"Having a little trouble thinking straight? My venom has a tendency to do that."

Ushari was rewarded for his effort with one of Bunga's footpaws pressing down on his head.

"Ushari!" Pua growled as he approached. Bunga let up pressure and the cobra snapped his head in Pua's direction. Pua took on a sorrowful demeanor. "I feared I would find you here, old friend. I couldn't believe it when I heard you'd betrayed the Pride Lands."

"They betrayed me first!" Ushari shouted back.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bunga demanded.

"You disssshonored me!" Ushari hissed at the badger. "You shamed and humiliated me in front of another cobra! You interrupted a sacred ritual for your own amusement!"

Bunga looked confused for just a moment before realization dawned on him. "Oooohhhhh! You're still upset about that dance thing you were doing? It was an accident! We were just trying to help!"

"You took my honor from me!"

Pua slammed a claw on the ground, sending vibrations ringing through Ushari's inner ear bones like thunder.

"No, Ushari! No such offense was done to you!"

"You weren't there, Pua!" Ushari retorted. "How could you know?"

"No one can make you turn evil," Bunga said. "Maybe you were just evil all along!"

"Or maybe it was just his destiny," Scar interrupted them. "Just like it was mine, and just like it shall be Kion's! He now has the mark of evil! Inflicted by the most appropriate of animals, don't you think?" He cackled again.

Kion continued to rub at his bite, trying desperately to clear the haze from his mind. Scar continued to taunt him with a twisted version of Jasiri's words of friendship.

"At the end of the day we're like fire and flame!"

"Fire and flame?" Kion mused, his mind clearing as an idea formed in his head.

Ushari turned to Pua. "Now you'll see what creatures do when they're pushed to their limit and have no other options left to them. Maybe now you'll understand why I left! Why I did what I did!"

Pua grimaced. He glanced at Kion. The prince was a picture of calm, eyes closed, clearly going over his options in his mind. Pua smiled.

"No, I don't think so, my friend. I think Kion is about to demonstrate the honorable choice you could have made."

Ushari's hood flared. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Pua gave him a pointed look. "Just listen, and you may find out."

Kion looked up at Scar with resolve, approaching the edge of the precipice. "I do have another choice, Scar," he said. "Something only one Lion Guard leader can do to another."

"And what's that?" Scar prodded with an amused grin.

Kion took a deep breath before speaking. "I forgive you."

Ushari's jaw dropped. Pua smiled sagely. It was just the response he'd expected from the compassionate prince, wise beyond his years as he was.

"You...you _what_?!" Scar cried, dumbfounded.

"But I can't judge you for all you've done," Kion continued. "Only the lions of the past can do that." With that, Kion took a stance to roar, but instead of opening his mouth wide to bring thunder, Kion gently breathed upward, summoning the Elders, who breathed back. Instead of wind, thunder and the shaking of the earth, a gentle, steady rain descended over the lava.

Scar cried out in anguish and defeat.

"What?" Ushari whispered. "Scar's plan failed?"

"The roar is a curse, Kion!" Scar insisted as smoke began to obscure his form. "You'll see! Sisi ni sawa!"

With that, the ex-Lion Guard leader and fratricidal usurper vanished, quenched by the rain.

"Do you see now, Ushari?" Pua asked. "Kion suffered from another's actions but chose a very different and better path. He acted honorably. You had the same choice and chose to act dishonorably, then accuse others of stripping you of your honor."

"They _did_ strip me of my honor!" Ushari insisted.

Pua shook his head. "No one can take your honor from you, Ushari. They can wound your pride and dignity; they can act dishonorably toward you. But the only creature who has any power to take away your honor is _you_."

"Tell that to my opponent at my last mapambano!" Ushari cried. "He called me a cheat; accused me of siding with mammals to win my matches! He said he wanted nothing to do with me or the cobras of the Pride Lands!"

"If another creature wants to believe falsehoods that he's created about you in his own mind, that's his problem, not yours," Pua replied. "He has no power to affect your character unless _you_ give him that power. You were once the most respected cobra in the Pride Lands. And you lost that respect because of your own actions. Not the Lion Guard's, nor another cobra's. You dishonored yourself, Ushari. You allowed your bitterness to distract you from following the code of the cobra. And you have no one but yourself to blame for your shame."

Pua's words struck home, echoing in Ushari's head: "You dishonored _yourself_, Ushari." Time seemed to slow to a standstill as Ushari's mind flashed back to all that had happened since the mapambano; how he'd agreed to join Janja's conspiracy against the Pride Lands, how he'd essentially taken over as the brains of the Outlanders, and how he'd been able to summon Scar, the very lion who had caused him and his fellow cobras so much grief during that terrible reign. All because he'd wanted revenge. Revenge that Ushari was now starting to understand wasn't his to take. He was a traitor, and he wondered what the other cobras must think of him now. If word had gotten back to his old friend Pua of his treason, surely the other cobras must have heard, and must be disassociating themselves with him now. What did his most recent brood think? Would they be ashamed to have a father who would turn his back on the Pride Lands because of the actions of children?

Ushari turned Kion's actions moments ago over in his head as well. Forgiveness? What sort of tactic was that? How could that preserve one's honor? All it was doing was dismissing someone's actions. Wasn't it? Could Ushari forgive the Lion Guard, and Bunga in particular? Should he forgive them? Perhaps forgiveness _was _the most honorable course of action. Perhaps forgiveness could rid him of this shame.

Ushari returned to the present moment, his brow scales furrowing as he made a decision. "No!" he cried. "They shamed me! I can't forgive that! And now they've destroyed everything I've worked for since!"

With that, he gathered his strength and leaped for Kion, fangs bared, ready to deliver a lethal dose to the lion who had ruined his plans.

"Oh no, you don't!" Bunga shouted, leaping after the cobra.

"Ushari, stop!" Pua cried, scrambling to follow Bunga.

The quicker, more agile badger cub reached the cobra first, slamming into him and sending them both over the ledge toward the still-cooling lava lake. Beshte, Fuli and Pua tried in vain to reach out and grab the two animals before they plunged into the steam.

"Bunga!" Ono cried, diving after the honey badger.

Several tense seconds passed. Finally, the labored breathing of a struggling Ono could be heard as the egret hoisted Bunga back up to the ledge. Ushari was nowhere to be seen.

The Guard gathered around Bunga and an exhausted Ono, relieved that both were okay. Pua remained at the ledge, staring sadly into the lava as the smoke began to clear in the rain. Mere minutes later, there was a crust of basalt over the surface of the lake, with only Scar's symbol faintly glowing to mark where he had once risen.

Pua gave a mournful sigh for his former friend before turning his attention back to the Guard.

Bunga pushed his friends' affectionate noses aside and walked up to Pua, looking sheepishly at the reptile. "Sorry about Ushari," he said sincerely. "I...I didn't mean to make him betray us like that, or make him fall in the lava. Honest, I didn't!"

The old crocodile gave Bunga a gentle smile. "It wasn't your fault, young one. Each of us is responsible for our own choices. Just make every effort to learn from your mistakes and grow beyond them, as Makuu did. You can also learn from the mistakes of others, such as Ushari. He and Kion had similar choices to make after both had been wronged. I don't think I need to tell you which choice was the one that leads down the true path of honor."

Kion smiled wearily at Pua, warmed by the praise. He turned to look back over the ledge. Scar's mark glowed faintly for a moment more before fading away entirely.

"Scar is finally gone," Kion announced. "We've won."

* * *

A few hours later, the Pride Landers had returned home. Kion and Ono had suffered debilitating injuries in the battle, and thus the Lion Guard began their journey to the Tree of Life to find healing for their wounded members. Makuu and his float returned to their territory after seeing the Guard off. Pua accompanied them part of the way. Soon he began to turn down another path.

"Hey, old timer," Makuu called, "aren't you joining us?"

Pua chuckled. "I lost the mashindano, remember? I can't rejoin your float."

Makuu shrugged. "Well, I'm the leader now, so I can change a few things here and there."

"Thank you," Pua said, dipping his head. "But I have some business to attend to elsewhere. I might stop by sometime to chew the fat."

"You're welcome to do so anytime," Makuu offered with a smile.

The younger croc turned back to lead his float, while Pua lumbered off to a place he'd come to know well; a basking rock overlooking a small stream bank that only flowed during the wet season.

Once Pua arrived, he found just the creatures he was looking for. Three Egyptian cobras lingered on the rock, casually discussing the recent events. All bore a familiar red coloration. They hadn't taken part in the war at all, as cobras, like the vast majority of snakes, are pacifists in all matters except immediate self-defense. But they'd stayed up to date on everything that had happened. As Pua approached, they hooded up warily.

"Greetings," Pua called. "I come in peace. I bear news of the cobra Ushari."

That piqued the cobras' interest, and they allowed the crocodile to approach.

"What news?" a male said. "We heard of his treason."

"Has he been captured?" a female asked.

Pua gave a slow shake of his head. "Ushari is dead," he announced. "He was offered a chance to redeem himself, but refused it. He perished along with Scar."

The cobras exchanged glances of mixed emotions. "Oh," the first two said in unison.

"Serves him right," the third cobra grumbled.

"Umiza!" her siblings chided.

"What? It's true!" Umiza defended herself. "He damaged the reputation of all cobras, not just himself! Now no one will trust us! The three of us specifically! Just how long before some mammal accuses us of treason because it 'runs in the family?'"

"You have my word that I will do my part to see that Ushari's dishonorable actions do not reflect on you, as will King Simba," Pua promised. "For your part, continue to act with honor. Continue to play your part in the circle of life. When someone wrongs you, learn to forgive. And at the very least, refrain from taking your pain out on others who may be innocent. You are not villains just because Ushari chose to become one."

Umiza gave the wise old crocodile an apologetic look. "You're right. I just...he wasn't wrong about everything, you know. Just...how he handled it."

"We used to look up to him," Umiza's brother said. "It's really a blow to all of us, what he did."

"We don't know if we should miss him," the sister added.

"He was your father," Pua stated. "What you're feeling is normal. He was also my friend once, and I've missed him ever since he turned his back on us." He smiled fondly at the trio. "That's why I've decided to keep an eye on you three, to make sure you have every opportunity to flourish. If you'll allow me."

The cobras nodded to one another in silent agreement. "We would be honored to have your friendship," Umiza said, dipping her head.

Pua settled his old joints down in the trickle of cool water flowing along the stream bed, and all four reptiles spent the next few hours conversing amicably.

* * *

**AN:** I write Ushari as one of the oldest cobras in the Pride Lands, so in my mind he has sired several offspring over the course of his life. The three who appear here are his youngest brood.


End file.
